We call it “einkorn” but across the world, Triticum monococcum has many names, and that’s no surprise since it’s the world’s most primitive form of wheat.

The most popular name, einkorn, is German for “one grain”. This refers to how taxonomists identify einkorn in the wild. Einkorn has one row of grains on each side, whereas modern wheat has two rows on each side.

There are many different names for einkorn.

Here are the names we’ve collected:

• einkorn (German)
• small spelt (Italian)
• farro piccolo (Italian)
• engrain (French)
• Le petit épautre (French)
• tiphe (Greek)
• siyez (Turkish)
• sifon (Hebrew)

The list of names is significant because each has a meaning that weaves einkorn’s history through many cultures and regions including the family dinner table, pharaoh’s grain stores, Otzi’s hunting trail, and the fields of family farmers now and from centuries past. We’d like to help bring these traditions and stories to life.

In Italy, the family dinner table of a century ago would include farro for dinner. Farro is a term that refers to one of the 3 primary hulled wheats, emmer, spelt, and einkorn distinguished respectively as farro medio, farro grande, and farro piccolo.

In France, Le petit épautre brings a stronger and wilder taste, unique to the einkorn available in that region. **Update: Andrew, a farmer in France, says petit épautre has a “sweet walnut flavour”

Do you have another name for einkorn, or a story about one of the names we have listed? Please share in the comments below!

Source: Padulosi,S. ; Hammer,K.; Heller,J.(1996): Hulled wheats. 1995